The government yesterday made fresh concessions on the emergency anti-terrorism bill in a desperate attempt to ensure the measure becomes law today.

The bill suffered 10 defeats in the Lords over the past week and the home secretary, David Blunkett, feared seeing it blocked today unless he made concessions.

He moved to address peers' chief concerns by promising public bodies will be required to give information to police, only if the body believes the re quest is proportionate. The shadow home secretary, Oliver Letwin, said the concession was "constructive and serious". Peers had been worried about giving the police powers to go on fishing expeditions for information.

Mr Blunkett also strengthened the right to a form of judicial review of his decisions to detain suspected terrorists.

He met the Liberal Democrat spokesman Simon Hughes and Mr Letwin yesterday in an attempt to avoid a clash with peers today.

Without an overall majority in the Lords, Mr Blunkett has to make concessions if the bill is to become law within the government's deadline of the end of this week.

Mr Letwin stressed in the Commons there were only three issues out of the original six dividing the government and the opposition.

MPs overturned most of the Lords defeats in a series of late-night votes, and their amendments will be voted on by peers today.

Despite public defiance from Downing Street, Mr Blunkett has been told by colleagues in the Lords that he will have to give further ground on his plan to introduce an offence of incitement to religious hatred.